what stations will not air jimmy kimmel

Here’s the current situation in plain terms: a large number of local ABC stations owned by two big TV groups — Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group — have said they will not air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” even though ABC has brought the show back on the network schedule.

Quick Scoop: What stations will not air Jimmy Kimmel?

Instead of a station‑by‑station list, the key thing to know is who owns the stations:

• Sinclair and Nexstar together control dozens of ABC affiliates across the U.S., in markets ranging from mid‑size cities to major metro areas.

• These company‑owned ABC affiliates are the ones preempting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and replacing it with other programming, often local or national news.

• Estimates from major news outlets say roughly 20–25% of ABC markets (or stations) are affected, meaning around one‑fifth to one‑quarter of viewers cannot see the show over the air in their local ABC slot.

Because the blackout is based on ownership (Sinclair and Nexstar) rather than one simple geographic rule, the list spans many states and cities and is easier to track by owner than by trying to memorize every call sign. Public maps and forum posts show clusters of affected stations, but they all trace back to those two groups.

Why are they not airing it?

• The controversy started after Jimmy Kimmel made comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which led ABC’s parent company, Disney, to suspend the show for about a week.

• Even after Disney decided to reinstate the show, Sinclair and Nexstar announced they would keep preempting it, saying Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate or insensitive.

• This has escalated into a wider debate about free speech, media consolidation, and how much power station owners have over network programming.

A typical way this is described in news coverage is that “about one‑quarter of ABC stations” will not carry Kimmel’s return episode, due to decisions by Sinclair and Nexstar.

Concrete example (how this looks locally)

To make it more tangible, imagine a city where the ABC channel is owned by Sinclair:

• ABC schedules “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” nationally at its usual late‑night time.
• Sinclair’s local ABC affiliate in that market blocks that slot and runs news or other syndicated content instead.

• A viewer tuning in “like normal” to ABC at that time simply never sees Kimmel, even though ABC is officially carrying the show again.

Forum discussions and maps circulating online highlight entire patches of the country where Sinclair and Nexstar‑owned ABC stations are clustered, producing a noticeable blackout footprint of about 20–25% of the U.S. audience for the show.

Is there an official list of all stations?

• Some outlets and forum users have compiled maps and lists of affected stations, usually by cross‑referencing lists of Sinclair and Nexstar ABC affiliates with the companies’ public statements that they are preempting Kimmel.

• However, because station portfolios and programming decisions can change, the most accurate way to know if your station is affected is:
  1. Check whether your local ABC affiliate is owned by Sinclair or Nexstar (their corporate sites list all stations they own).

2. Look at your local ABC schedule or website to see if “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is currently listed or replaced in the late‑night slot.

If your ABC station is owned by a different group (for example, in some states where other companies own the ABC affiliates), local viewers may still get Jimmy Kimmel as normal.

How can people still watch?

Even in areas where Sinclair and Nexstar are not airing the show, coverage notes that viewers can still access it through Disney‑owned streaming platforms, video‑on‑demand, or delayed viewing options rather than live over‑the‑air broadcast. That’s become a big part of the advice in news and explainer pieces about the controversy.

Bottom line: the stations not airing Jimmy Kimmel are primarily ABC affiliates owned by Sinclair and Nexstar , covering roughly one‑fifth to one‑quarter of U.S. ABC markets, with those stations swapping his show out for other programming while ABC and Disney officially keep the show on the network schedule.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.